Fire to Ice
by TheInsaneFluba
Summary: Sarah curtseyed and looked up at the woman with confused eyes. "Who are you?" Sarah asked. The woman's face remained neutral and almost cold. "I am the Spirit of the Labyrinth," she said. She motioned for everyone to rise. She turned to the window and with a flick of her wrist, the window flew open. "And I summon thee, Goblin King." Jareth/OC
1. Egeria's Tale

**Here's a little oneshot I've had on my mind for a while now. If you want it to be extended to a two-shot, let me know! I hope you all enjoy!  
**

* * *

Sarah never felt happier. All of her new friends from the Labyrinth were in her room, dancing and laughing and playing with her. She couldn't stop smiling. In thirteen hours, she had made lifelong friends, saved her brother, and managed to learn things she would never have learned without the experience of the Labyrinth.

"Congratulations, child," a melodious, feminine voice said. At once, the residents of the Underground silenced and turned around. Sarah furrowed her brow in confusion and turned out to see an almost ghostly woman appear into her bedroom. The white, ghostly woman wore a long, medieval styled gown with loose sleeves and a long skirt that faded to the floor. Sarah could see the faint outline of legs and bare feet through the skirt. Her eyes had no irises or pupils, but instead glowed a fluorescent white glow. Her long hair fell in gentle waves to her hips. She practically radiated power. Hoggle was the first to bow before her.

"My Lady," he said. The rest of the Undergrounders followed Hoggle, bowing and referring to this woman as their 'Lady.' Sarah curtseyed and looked up at the woman with confused eyes.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked. The woman's face remained neutral and almost cold.

"I am the Spirit of the Labyrinth," she said. She motioned for everyone to rise. She turned to the window and with a flick of her wrist, the window flew open. "And I summon thee, Goblin King." Sarah widened her eyes. A moment later, a barn owl flew into the room, perching on Sarah's vanity. "Must I spell out which form I require of you?" The owl flew upwards and transformed in a beam of light, transforming into Jareth, the Goblin King that Sarah had just bested.

"Egeria," Jareth said, his voice cold. "And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You tried to go against my will," Egeria hissed.

"She needed to learn," Jareth snapped.

"You must learn as well," she growled. "My will and the will of the Labyrinth are one and the same. You had to meddle with it rather than trusting my judgment!"

"What?" Sarah asked. Egeria turned her haunting, glowing white gaze to Sarah.

"Did you ever see a fox following you? Or a snake? I believe I also took the form of a bird but I can't recall," Egeria said. Sarah widened her eyes. She remembered the fox she saw in the distance, staring at her with a strange green gaze. She also remembered the bright orange snake she not-so-subtly ran away from. "All me. I followed you, Sarah. I made sure that you faced your tests and passed them. Of course, Jareth had to interfere." She turned her glare back to the Goblin King, who wore a cold, stoic expression. To Sarah, it seemed as if he was holding something back... but not anger.

"There was a time where you trusted my judgment as much as yours," Jareth said.

"And whose fault is it that I don't anymore?" Egeria snapped. A flicker of hurt appeared in Jareth's mismatched eyes.

"Don't you dare blame me for that," Jareth whispered. "You know I did everything in my power to-"

"Yet it wasn't enough," Egeria replied, her voice cold. "Do not interfere again. I will not hesitate to reprimand you for toying with my Labyrinth."

" _Our_ Labyrinth," Jareth hissed. "You wouldn't hurt me. You couldn't hurt me."

"Of course I could," she replied. "The Heartless can do many things without remorse." Sarah now saw the obvious hurt in Jareth's eyes. There was no trace of anger... just sorrow and pain. She didn't think the Goblin King could feel such things. "Remember my words, Goblin King. Do not interfere with the next runner." Egeria turned around and faded away, leaving behind the Undergrounders and a pained looking Jareth.

Jareth let out a sigh and shook his head, collapsing into Sarah's vanity chair. "You've no idea how much it pains me to see her like this, Sarah."

"She seems so cold," Sarah said, sitting on her bed. "So distant, so..."

"Heartless," Jareth finished. "And she's right. It's my fault. Had I just been quicker or discovered Aelfric's intentions sooner..." Sarah tilted her head in confusion. Jareth looked up at the girl with his mismatched eyes and sighed. Sarah suddenly widened her eyes when the realization hit her. She had heard stories about this kind of thing. Why didn't she see it sooner?

"You loved her," Sarah said.

"I assure you, my feelings for her are in the present tense," Jareth snapped. Sarah looked over at Hoggle, who nodded his head, confirming Sarah's suspicions. "Yet she can no longer feel the same way for me. She can't feel love or compassion for anyone anymore."

"What happened?" Sarah asked. She should have felt no pity for Jareth, but the anguish in his voice was too much for Sarah to miss. Even the subjects who feared him looked down in silent pity, clearly knowing the story behind Jareth and Egeria.

"It's a long story and not necessarily a happy one with a happy ending like in those fairy stories you're so fond of," he said.

"I want to hear it," Sarah said. Jareth took a breath and began his tale.

* * *

 _Egeria and I grew up together. I was the Goblin Prince and she was the next Guardian of the Labyrinth. We often played in there, playing hide and seek and all those other silly children's games..._

"Come on, you slow poke!" A young Jareth looked up to see the young, redheaded girl smiling at him from behind a bend in the Labyrinth. Her bright green eyes were alive with energy and playfulness. Jareth let out a broad smile and chased after the young girl. He ran around the corner, only to see that Egeria was now gone.

"Come on, Gigi," Jareth whined. "This isn't fair!"

"Life's not fair!" he heard her shout. "Really, what's your basis of comparison?"

"I don't know!" Jareth shouted. "It just isn't!"

"Too bad!" Egeria laughed. Jareth smirked and followed the sound of her voice. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

 _We were often joined by Aelfric, the Prince of the Elves..._

Jareth turned around to see the black haired elf prince behind him. Aelfric put a finger to his lips and snuck around the other side of the wall. Jareth nodded and kept talking. "Gigi, where are you?"

"You have to find me, Jarey!" she giggled. She suddenly let out a squeal and burst out of a bunch of bushes. "Aelfric! That's not funny! Don't you dare touch me there!" A laughing Aelfric appeared out of the bushes and shrugged.

"But your tail was just asking to be yanked!" Aelfric replied. Egeria frowned and swished her ginger fox tail up to her arms, stroking it lightly. She stuck out her tongue and walked over to Jareth.

"At least Jareth has the decency to not yank a lady's tail," she snapped, pursing her lips. Jareth gave Egeria a light, one-armed hugged and shrugged at Aelfric. But the young Jareth couldn't see the jealous possessiveness that was slowly forming in the elven prince's eyes.

 _When we got older, she took on the mantle of Guardian of the Labyrinth. Shortly after I was crowned the Goblin King. Aelfric returned to his own kingdom to become the Elvenking. We never saw him much, but Egeria and I were almost inseparable._

"This one should be allowed to finish it," an older Egeria said. Jareth arched an eyebrow and ran a hand through his blond hair. "She has a kindness in her heart. She truly wishes to fight for her baby."

"If she would die for her child then why wish him away in the first place?" Jareth asked.

"I think it was a moment of stress," Egeria said. "I mean, being a single mother in the Aboveground is hard these days."

"Perhaps," Jareth murmured. "Fine. I'll tell the goblins to let her through the city."

"Thank you, Jareth," Egeria said with a happy smile. She kissed his cheek and stood up. Jareth could feel his cheeks begin to warm as the beautiful redhead skipped out of the room, her skirts swaying behind her.

 _She was my best friend, my most trusted advisor... and I fell in love with her._

Jareth lounged casually on his throne, watching as his goblin ran amuck as usual. Egeria came barging into the room, her anger and fiery as her hair. "That dumb broad! She honestly thought that the answer to that riddle was a map!? Seriously? She's not even taking the Labyrinth seriously! She sees it as a game and sees rescuing her child as a trivial matter that she has to merely deal with!"

"So you won't let her complete it?"

"I intend to make her life a living hell in this Labyrinth," Egeria growled. She paced about the room, scaring even the goblins. Jareth rolled his mismatched eyes and stood up, walking towards the raging girl. Her tail swished aggressively from side to side as she paced. Suddenly, Jareth grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close to him, capturing her lips with his own. She froze for a moment before resting her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. "I've been wanting you to do that for a while."

"Really?" Jareth asked, his voice low and soft.

"Really," Egeria replied. Jareth smiled and leaned in for a second kiss, oblivious to the fact that an Elvenking was watching the affair through his crystal, glaring at the happy couple and coveting the fox-woman.

 _I wasn't the only one in love with her, however. Aelfric vied for Egeria. He always had, even as children. I should have worried about his obsession with her more, but I didn't. I only saw it as jealousy within reason. After all, Egeria was... is... the most beautiful woman I know. I had no idea of the lengths he would go to in order to have Egeria as his..._

"Marry me."

Jareth watched as Egeria stopped walking and stared at him in shock. She dropped her jaw and covered her mouth.

"What?" she asked.

"Marry me," Jareth said, going down to one knee. "Love me for eternity and I will do the same for you." He held her hand while she stood there in shock, processing everything that was happening. Finally, Egeria nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I'll marry you, Jareth." When Jareth stood, he grabbed his beloved by the waist and pulled her into one of the most passionate kisses he had ever experienced. In the palace of Elvenking, Aelfric was storming about in a jealous rage, knocking over bookcases and vases and pretty much anything that could break.

 _Aelfric went behind my back and attempted to get Egeria to betray me. She denied him and told me of what had occurred. She told me that he said, 'If I can't have you, nobody will.' I feared for her, so I assigned extra guards to her rooms. Of course, Aelfric chose to take a less direct approach when it came to his revenge..._

It was the night before the wedding of Jareth, the Goblin King, and Egeria, the Guardian of the Labyrinth. Jareth and his future bride were eating dinner together, dining on the finest food and drinking the wine that his parents drank before their wedding. "A toast," he said, raising his goblet. "To our future." Egeria smiled her bright, beautiful smile and drank out of her goblet. Egeria drank from the goblet and set it down, taking Jareth's hand into her own. Suddenly, her face fell. She began to cough violently and breaths grew raspy and forced. "Gigi," Jareth gasped. He caught her when she fell from her chair and knelt onto the ground.

"Poison," Egeria was barely able to cough out. Jareth felt tears fall from his eyes as he watched the love of his life die in his arms. Her face was growing purple and her eyes were filling with blood. "Aelfric... had to be..."

"I'll kill him for this," Jareth growled, holding back his tears. "I'll kill him!"

"Find me," Egeria rasped. "When I'm reborn Aboveground. Find me before he does... I love you..." Egeria fell limp into his arms, moving and gasping no more. Her blood-shot eyes remained open, staring blankly into nothingness. Jareth sobbed into the chest of his beloved, his heart shattering in a way he never thought a heart could break.

 _He slipped a poison crystal into her goblet. I could never prove it was him to the High Court, though. My Egeria was gone from the Underground._

* * *

"So the woman we saw now is her ghost?" Sarah asked. Jareth shook his head.

"When a Fae is killed in the Underground, their soul is sent to the human realm where it is reborn over and over until they find their way back," Jareth explained. "While Egeria wasn't a Fae, she was the Labyrinth's Guardian, so the same rules applied to her. Aelfric wanted to kill her in the Underground so that he could find her here, where her memories of the Underground wouldn't exist, and make her fall in love with him."

"It sounds more like an obsession than love," Sarah said. Jareth nodded, clearly agreeing with her.

"It took me millennia to find her in this realm," Jareth said. "When I finally found her, the year in the Aboveground was 1943. Her name was Meredith Fox..."

* * *

 _Meredith looked exactly like my Egeria. She had the same eyes, the same smile... the same aura even. I didn't care that she had no memory at the time; I was only glad I got to her before Aelfric. Then again, I did everything in my power to keep him from entered the human world. I would watch her every night in my owl form. I slid her a copy of a book chronicling the tales of the Labyrinth. I waited as she read the book and waited to see if any of her memories would return. When she finished the book, I appeared before her..._

Jareth watched as young Meredith awoke with a start. The ginger teenager looked around the room, watching as shadows from the tree outside her window danced around. She gulped and got out of her bed, turning on a lamp as she walked to her bookcase. She pulled out a familiar red-bound book and smiled, sitting on her bed and opened up to the last chapter.

This was it; after this chapter, Jareth would appear before his love reborn.

He watched with impatience as the teenage girl read through the last few pages. Her green eyes darted from word to word across each page. When she finally finished the book, she set it down with a smile. "Such a good story," Meredith sighed wistfully. Suddenly a loud crashing sound rose from downstairs and the sounds of swearing and yelling filled the space outside her door. Meredith sighed and shook her head. "I wish the Goblin King would just take me away from here. Right now."

This was it. Jareth got up and started flapping at the window, causing as big of a ruckus as he could. He saw Meredith snap her head around and stare wide-eyed at his barn owl form. "A barn owl... like the form the Goblin King takes... curious..." Meredith stood up and opened her window. Jareth flew into a room and swiftly turned into his Fae form.

"I've so waited to hear you wish that, Meredith" he said with a smirk. Meredith furrowed her brow in confusion.

"How do you know who I am?" she asked.

"Because you're not Meredith Fox at all," he replied. She narrowed her eyes and arched her brow.

"I'm pretty sure I am," she replied. "I've been Meredith Fox my entire life."

"You've Meredith Fox for all of this life," Jareth said. "Before, though, you were a denizen of the Underground. Did you enjoy the story of the Labyrinth?"

"I what? I mean, I loved the book, but what do you mean by before?" Meredith asked. Jareth smiled and leaned against the wall.

 _I explained everything to her about her origins. It was a four hour long conversation. The entire time, her human parents were arguing and yelling. On occasion we'd hear something shatter and Meredith would roll her eyes. I was only glad that it was never her that they lashed out at or abused. But by the end of those four hours, Meredith had accepted that she was once Egeria, Guardian of the Labyrinth, and still had the desire to come with me to the Underground. She packed a bag of books and we were gone. She never again went to the human realm. Some... interesting things began to happen during her first weeks in the Underground..._

"JARETH!" the Goblin King looked up at the doorway, still lounging on his throne. A slightly freaked out Meredith appeared in the room, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly dropped. "Um... I have a tail."

"A tail?"

"A tail." Jareth motioned for her to turn around and show it to him. Sure enough, on Meredith's backside was a bright red fox's tail. It was identical to Egeria's. He hadn't expected any sort of transformation when she returned to the Underground.

"I don't know why I didn't expect this," he said. "Egeria had the tail of a fox as well. Perhaps you'll gain her magic in time."

"Her magic?" she asked. "Well... I guess my magic. I mean, I'm her and she's me. What kind of magic did she have?"

"Mostly shapeshifting," Jareth replied. "Her favored form was a fox for obvious reasons. Though I had also seen her as a butterfly, a cat, a bird, a squirrel, a snake, a slug-"

"Slug?" Meredith asked. "Why would I choose to be a slug?"

"Something about being more covert. Not sure why you thought that. Your slug form was bright orange," Jareth said. "Unfortunately, I don't think you can get rid of the tail." Meredith sighed and shook her head, leaving the room, grumbling about having a 'stupid tail.'

 _I decided to not tell her about her dragon and phoenix forms. Over the next months I showed her the Underground and taught her how to use her magic. My love for her was already there; it a sense it had been first sight for me... though I know it was because I had loved her past life. For Meredith, it took a bit longer, but it still happened..._

"Merry, stop being so difficult!" Jareth shouted into the Labyrinth. He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and sighed. "You were just like this as Egeria." Just then, he saw a ginger cat dart out of the corner of his eye. He smirked and chased after the cat. "I've got you now, precious." He ran into the courtyard where the cat ran and scanned the area, searching for the cat. He scanned the ground and his eyes fell on a bright orange slug. "Really? That has got to be one of your more conspicuous forms." The slug suddenly began to grow and turned into a laughing Meredith. She was wearing more Underground-esque clothing now. Today's ensemble was a white blouse with a brown leather corset and a brown leather sleeveless coat, dark brown leather pants that hugged her legs and brown leather stiletto boots.

"I panicked," Meredith said, smiling. "I knew you saw me as a cat." Her fox tail swished from side to side a she sat on the ground laughing. Jareth rolled his eyes and held out a hand. She took and attempted to stand up. She tripped over her shoes, though, and fell right on top of Jareth. He smirked as the redhead stared down at him. Suddenly, she did something Jareth wouldn't have expected of her.

She kissed him.

It was a soft peck, as if she acted on impulse. Jareth felt his chest swell, cherishing the feeling of kissing Egeria after so many years. Meredith broke the kiss and flushed. "Sorry! I don't know what came over me, and..." Jareth pressed a finger against her lips.

"I've been wanting you to do that for a while," he said, echoing the words Egeria said to him when he first kissed her.

"Really?" Meredith asked. Jareth nodded, suddenly Meredith narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I'm having a moment of déjà vu. Were we going steady? When I was Egeria?" Jareth smiled and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it was enough to get used to being the sole Guardian of our Labyrinth," he told her. "Imagine me telling you we were once engaged."

"Engaged?" Meredith asked. She smiled and laughed. "I think I remember that... I'm starting to remember us. Jareth, I loved you so..." Jareth sat up and held onto Meredith, she hugged him back with just as much passion. She leaned up and kissed him. For the next few hours, the lovers reunited. It was a flurry of lips and hands and the passions of making love.

 _It was her idea to resume the engagement. After all, she got most of her memories back. In essence, she was Egeria again. Yet she still wished to be called Meredith. It felt more like her name, anyway, so I didn't object. We tried to keep her presence a secret but we failed. Word eventually got to Aelfric. Needless to say, he still wanted Egeria for himself and would go to any and all lengths..._

Jareth pointed a sharp, steel sword at the chest of Aelfric. Meredith hid behind Jareth, her eyes filled with fear and anger. "This is the second time you've attacked my precious on the eve of our wedding. When are you going to come to terms with the fact that she chose me instead of you?"

"Egeria will choose me," Aelfric snarled. "That can be assured."

"I will never be yours, Aelfric," Meredith hissed. "I never have and never will."

"Why must you be so difficult?" Aelfric said with an annoyed sigh. In a puff of smoke, the Elvenking disappeared and then reappeared behind Meredith. He grabbed her and spun her around to face him. Suddenly, Aelfric plunged his hand into Meredith's chest. Jareth widened his eyes in shock. He had no idea that Aelfric knew how to take someone's heart out. With a swift motion, Aelfric brought his hand from Meredith's chest and took out the pulsing, glowing red heart. Meredith fell to the ground, her eyes vacant and shocked.

"Now I will always have her heart," Aelfric spat. "She may not love me but now she will never love again." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Jareth and Meredith alone.

"Meredith!" Jareth shouted as he caught her. She looked up at him and began to cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She suddenly began to mutter an incantation under her breath. Jareth shook his head when he realized what she was doing. When she finished the incantation, she looked up at Jareth. "Put my body in stasis. Hide me. Make sure Aelfric never finds me."

"You can't-"

"I must," Meredith said, she placed a hand on Jareth's cheek. "No matter how cold my spirit becomes, know that I will always love you." She took a breath and looked up, shouting, "I bind my soul to the Labyrinth and swear to remain with the Labyrinth for eternity and beyond!" She closed her eyes and went limp. Yet she still breathed, as if sleeping. A faint white mist came out of her mouth and swirled into the form of a ghostly woman. She looked down at Jareth sadly before fading away, most likely to enter the Labyrinth.

 _I've spend the last forty years trying to break into Aelfric palace to recover her heart. His magic is strong and I still have no idea where he keeps it. Yet he's done the same, trying to get Meredith's body. Not even the goblins know where I've hidden her. Every day, Egeria grows colder... More Heartless..._

* * *

Jareth looked up to see Sarah place a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know how much it pains me to see the woman I love treat me as if she has little care for me? She was always a fiery woman, yet now she's turned to ice."

"I'm sorry," Sarah softly said. By now, most of the Undergrounders had returned to their realm, save for Didymus, Hoggle, and Ludo.

"All because Aelfric could never let go of his obsessive lust for Egeria," Jareth spat.

"You've given up hope, haven't you?" Sarah asked.

"Very nearly," Jareth replied, staring blankly at the ground. Suddenly Sarah removed her hand and stood in front of Jareth.

"I'll help you get her back," Sarah said, her voice filled with resolve. Jareth arched an eyebrow and stared at the girl.

"Why?" he asked. "Even after your run in the Labyrinth you're willing to help me? Why?"

"Because every deserves love," Sarah said. "And it's not fair that yours got taken away by Aelfric." Jareth let out a snort.

"In this case I'd have to agree. It isn't fair," Jareth stood up and looked around at everyone in the room. "You are really willing to help me?" Sarah nodded. "I shall warn you, the Elvenking's defenses are strong. Stronger than mine."

"Ludo, Didymus, Hoggle, and I will help you get into his Kingdom and find Egeria's heart."

"If Sarah wants us to help, we will," Hoggle told him.

"Ludo help," the giant beast agreed, nodding his head.

"We shall help you recover the heart of your fair maiden," Sir Didymus assured the Goblin King. For the first time in many years, Jareth finally felt a sense of hope. He felt as if he would be able to see his love once again and finally have his happily ever after.


	2. Plans to be Made

**Whelp. I didn't expect the next half of this to take so long, so it's kind of turning into a three-shot. Maybe four. So here's part two! Sorry it took as long as it did. I just honestly didn't expect that people would want the next parts of this fic, lol.**

* * *

Sarah now stood in the palace of the Goblin King. The previous night, she had agreed to help Jareth come up with a plan to get Egeria's hear back from the evil Elvenking Aelfric. Jareth stood beside her and led her through the filthy, stone walls of the castle. She had no idea how Egeria would ever deal with such a messy palace. Maybe it was cleaner when she was there. Maybe she liked it messy as well. Sarah so desperately wanted to know the Egeria that Jareth had described to her. She wanted to know the Egeria that was full of fire and light… not the Egeria that appeared before her and seemed to be made of stone and ice.

"The others are waiting in the throne room," Jareth said, his voice almost stoic, yet full of a renewed fire. He turned to her, his mismatched eyes almost boring into her head. "Thank you, Sarah. You've no idea what this means to me."

"She needs to be saved," Sarah said. "Everyone deserves happiness. Even you." Jareth let out a soft smile and pushed open the doors to the throne room. "Out of curiosity, where are you hiding Meredith's body?"

"I can't risk telling you that," Jareth said. "Aelfric has eyes and ears everywhere. He often knows my plans before I can ever enact them. The only reason I feel confident in making a plan now is because he more than likely thinks I've given up. I haven't made an attempt to storm his castle for nearly ten years now."

"Ten years?"

"Ten years," Jareth confirmed. The two entered the throne room and Sarah immediately saw Hoggle pacing the room. Ludo stood calmly in the corner while Sir Didymus stood in front of Ambrosius, telling him to not be afraid of what they will face. Jareth made his way to the throne and sat down, one leg hanging lazily over the armrest. He held up one of his crystal balls and murmured unintelligible words into it. He tossed it into the air, where exploded and coating the room in a glittery, magical dust.

"That should keep him from hearing us," Jareth said. "He likes to spy on me through scrying. Hopefully this spell will block his sight, should he try to turn his gaze upon me. Now, I need you all to understand that storming Aelfric's castle will not be as easily as it was for you to storm mine. My defenses are strong, but Aelfric's are stronger."

"How strong?" Sarah asked.

"The grounds are protected by very ancient magics. Magics that can block the power of the Fae," Jareth explained. "Which is why you'll come in handy, Sarah. You're human. The magics won't affect you as they will me. However, I'm still not entirely sure how it will affect Ludo and his powers."

"You mean you don't know if he'll be able to summon the rocks," Sarah said. Jareth nodded and looked at the large orange beast.

"Regardless of whether the protection spells will block your rock-calling, your size and brute strength will also be an asset," Jareth said.

Ludo nodded and said, "Ludo strong."

"Do we have a map?" Sarah asked. Jareth nodded and motioned to a large map that hung on a wall. It looked very old and weathered. There were some stains on ink on it, along with multiple "x's" on various rooms. Obviously these were places that he looked at and didn't find Egeria in. There was one large stain in the middle of the map that was a dark, red color. Almost like the color of wine. Sarah's eyes narrowed at the stain and she turned to Jareth.

"It was a few months after she had her heart stolen," he said, nodding at the stain. "I was drunk and threw a bottle of wine at the map. I drank a lot after I lost her. Both times." He shook his head and stood up, making his way to the map. "Everywhere that's marked with an 'X' is where I searched for her heart and didn't find it." He pointed at the map, which showed detailed diagrams of at least four floors, plus a rooftop. "The only place I haven't explored is the cellars. I wanted to make sure that the other three floors were searched thoroughly. It may even be a good idea to check over those floors with fresh sets of eyes. He could have a hidden room that I don't know about that he keeps it in."

"There's four floors and five of us," Sarah said. "Six, if you count Ambrosius."

"You had better count Ambrosius!" Didymus shouted.

"If you're suggesting we split up, you might as well stop talking," Jareth said. "If we're to have any chance of finding her heart, it would be better to stay together. As I've said before, Aelfric has strong magic; especially in the art of scrying. He'll know exactly where all of us are and stop us one by one."

"What if you and Sir Didymus lead the goblin army to the castle under the guise of an attack?" Sarah suggested. "Ludo, Hoggle, and I can sneak in and start searching for her heart."

"I need to be there to get her heart," Jareth said. "It will most certainly be protected by magic. Not to mention it's almost a death sentence for you all to go in there without my protection."

"But he won't suspect us if you're leading your goblins in the attack," Sarah said. "Couldn't you stay with the goblins and then teleport to us when we find her heart?"

"Don't you think I would have already teleported myself into his palace if I could?" Jareth asked, one eyebrow arched. Sarah shut her mouth and looked down. Of course he would have tried that. It was silly of her for even trying to suggest that.

"Then what about a spell to disguise someone as you?" Sarah asked.

"That... could actually work," Jareth said. "Hogwart here is our best option. Ludo can barely say an intelligible sentence and Didymus probably isn't capable of acting like me." Sarah wanted to argue with him and tell him to be nicer to her friends, but Jareth did have a fair point. Of all of them, Hoggle was capable of impersonating the Goblin King the best. "Sarah and I could slip into the castle. Hoggle will lead the goblin army disguised as me. Ludo, Didymus and his dog, Sarah, and I will enter the castle and find Egeria's heart. We'll start with the cellars. I know of a passageway that can get us in quietly. I have an agent inside the castle. Aelfric would never dream of his denizens betraying him. He thinks that they all worship him like a god. _I_ can't even match his ego."

"He must really be full of himself then," Sarah said. Jareth arched an eyebrow in a 'really?' kind of stare. "You're the one that admitted to having a large ego."

"I suppose I did," Jareth said. He rolled his eyes and took a breath. "We storm tomorrow. Hoggle and I can come up with strategies for the army. I need him to think like I do, after all." Sarah nodded and looked at the map on the wall. There were so many places to search. Aelfric wouldn't make it easy for Egeria's heart to be found. Then again, Sarah beat the Labyrinth that was supposedly almost impossible to defeat. She had faith that she and her friends would be able to recover Egeria' heart for Jareth.

"Shouldn't be hard," Hoggle said as Sarah, Ludo, and Didymus left the room. "All I need to do is act like I have a giant ego."

"I may appreciate your assistance, but don't forget that I could still throw you into the Bog of Eternal Stench," Jareth muttered as the door to the throne room shut with a resounding thud. Sarah rolled her eyes as she walked through the corridors, trying not to trip on the messes left behind by the goblins that inhabited the palace.

* * *

Morning came and Jareth was confident in their plan.

He could hardly even touch his breakfast from the mix of anticipation and anxiety that filled his very being. The small band of heroes that defeated his Labyrinth seemed to have no trouble eating, though. Sarah had a bright smile on her face as she talked about various things with Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus. Her confidence almost eased his nerves. Yet in the corner of his mind he knew that there was every possibility that they could fail. They could all possibly be killed in this endeavor. Jareth knew he would merely be reborn on Earth, but the others didn't have that luxury. If they were to fall in this battle, they had no way of returning to life. They would be dead. Dead-dead.

One of the goblin generals ran up to Jareth, its oversized helmet sliding around his head. "We're ready, your Majesty," it said. Jareth nodded and looked up at Sarah. She nodded back, her expression suddenly very serious. It seemed that he wasn't the only one that knew of just how dangerous this venture was going to be.

"Assemble the army at the gate," Jareth said. "I will be out momentarily." The goblin nodded and staggered out of the room, slamming the door behind it. Jareth turned to Hoggle and rose to his feet. "We need to perform that spell. If we have any hope of tricking Aelfric, the goblins need to believe that you're me."

"Right," Hoggle said. Jareth twisted his hand and watched as a crystal materialized into his palm.

"One more thing," Jareth said as he focused his magic into the crystal. "Don't be a bloody coward and run away. The moment you flee, Aelfric will turn his attentions back to the castle. We can't afford for that to happen." He muttered a spell in the fae language and crushed the crystal in his palm. He threw the dust at Hoggle, who started coughing. The spell began to work slowly. Hoggle grew taller and leaner, his lumpy face smoothing out and his eyes shrinking to the proper proportions. Even Hoggle's clothes morphed into what Jareth was currently wearing. The glittery dust faded away and Jareth was left staring at an exact copy of himself. "This is actually somewhat frightening to see. Does my hair really look like that?"

"Hey, I don't fancy this any more than you do," Hoggle grumbled, his voice sounded exactly like Jareth's.

"Ugh," Jareth scoffed. "Do I really sound like that? Nevermind. Hoggle, get going. The goblin army is awaiting. Remember the strategies. More importantly, remember to act like me." Hoggle-Jareth nodded and swiftly left the room, strutting almost comically. "I do _not_ walk like that."

"Yes you do!" Hoggle-Jareth shouted as he slammed the doors behind him dramatically. Jareth rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wasn't nearly that dramatic... was he?

"It should only take them about an hour to get to Aelfric's territory," Jareth said. "I set up a portal to the border a long, long time ago. Aelfric would expect me to use magic to speed things along. He'll prepare his armies the moment he sees false-me step out of that portal. More importantly, he'll try to reinforce the magics protecting Egeria's heart. If we smuggle ourselves into his lands soon enough I should be able to sense that surge of magic. That will narrow down our search. I can teleport us near the border and hopefully conceal our presence with a cloaking spell. My contact said she'd meet us in the castle gardens."

"Alright," Sarah said. "Who is this agent anyway?"

"A friend I trust dearly," Jareth said.

"You have friends?" Sarah asked with a faint snort. Jareth rolled his eyes and scoffed. At least he knew that Sarah still didn't exactly like or trust him. Not that he really cared. All he needed was her help to get Egeria's heart. Then they could just hate each other as much as they wanted.

"She was practically like a sister to me when I lost Egeria," he said. "You never know, Sarah. You might actually like her." Suddenly a glittering pink rose petal flew into the room. Jareth felt his breathing stop for a moment as the rose petal swirled around. When he felt the energy of the magic surrounding the petal, he immediately knew who the message came from. "Speak of the devil." He grabbed a bowl and filled it with the water from his goblet. The rose petal settled onto the water and faded away, leaving behind the image of an elven woman with black hair and silver eyes.

 _"Jareth, it's Daerwen,"_ the image said. _"Change of plan. Don't worry, it's a good change. I think I may have found where my brother is keeping Egeria's heart. I caught him sneaking out of a portrait on the third floor. The magic around it isn't that noticeable from the surface, but once I touched it... it's strong. The only reason I could touch it without being killed on the spot was because of our shared bloodline. We'll still meet in the gardens, but I'll take your party to the third floor portrait and break the barriers for you. I've already gotten rid of a few of the weaker layers, but I need your magic for the stronger ones. Fae magic has always been stronger than elven magic. I'll see you soon. Don't be spotted."_

Daerwen's image faded away and the bowl of water was still. Jareth breathed out a sigh of relief and fell against his chair. He couldn't help but start to smile and laugh some. After all these years, they finally found where he was keeping her heart. And it was on the day of an attack too. How much luckier could he have gotten. Sarah was smiling as well.

"So your contact is Aelfric's sister?" she asked. Jareth nodded.

"If anyone hates him more than I do, it's her," he said. "She's never forgiven him for stealing a person's heart. You have to understand, that's an absolute taboo in our world. But to Daerwen, it's an absolute sin. She gains her strength through love and passion, so for her own brother to interfere with love in this capacity..." Sarah nodded and took a breath.

"Should we go?" she asked.

"Yes," Jareth said. "Hoggle and the goblins should have gotten through that portal by now. Aelfric's attentions will be on them. He's probably gathering his forces as we speak."

"Ludo ready," the rock-calling monster said, nodding his head clumsily up and down.

"Let us not waste another minute to retrieve your fair maiden's heart," Sir Didymus said. His dog, Ambrosius seemed to bark in agreement. Jareth motioned for everyone to come to him.

"All of you take a hold of me," Jareth said. "I can transport all of you with me, but only if I have contact." He drew a crystal from thin air, feeling his magic surge into it. He was about to mutter a transportation spell, but suddenly realized that he had yet to disguise himself. "Wait. Hold on." He muttered a different spell and moved his hand over his face. A glamour should be enough Iif Aelfric's attentions were on the goblin army. He felt a rush of magic over his face. He saw Sarah's eyes go wide with shock.

"You look like an elf!" she exclaimed.

"That was the general idea," he said. He focused his attentions back to the crystal in his hand and muttered the transportation spell. He threw the crystal to the ground, where it shattered into a glittery mist. The room around Jareth faded away and he found his surroundings growing brighter and greener. When everything stopped spinning, Jareth found himself standing in a lush green field near the border of the elven kingdom. He was the only one in the ground that didn't look nauseated from the teleportation.

"How do you do that without getting sick?" Sarah asked, looking almost green.

"Ludo dizzy," the furry giant moaned.

"I must say I do feel somewhat queasy," Sir Didymus added.

"Millenia of practice," Jareth said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, we need to get moving." Jareth immediately started walking in the direction of the elven kingdom. All he needed to do was keep going straight east and listen for signs of battle. As long as Hoggle stuck to the plan, they should be good. For the next hour they walked through the lush green meadows, careful to avoid the sight of any elves that may be near (not that there was anywhere to hide, really. They were on a bloody field, after all). Sarah and the others tried to keep up with Jareth's rather fast pace. Perhaps they were still queasy from the teleportation magic.

When they had finally gotten to the border, Jareth stopped. He took a breath and drew a crystal from nowhere. He muttered a cloaking spell and threw the crystal into the air. The glittering dust coated the party. Sarah coughed from apparently inhaling some of the magic. "What was that?"

"Cloaking spell," Jareth said. "Extra precaution for getting across the border. I've learned how to get in pretty easily. At least, I did after numerous attempts. I figured out my stealth rhythm after my forty-second try. Come on, I can hear the goblins. It actually doesn't sound like we're losing yet."

"Yet?" Sarah asked.

"You've fought them," Jareth said with a snort. "It's not exactly hard to defeat a goblin. Why do you think Egeria and I invested so much magic into the Labyrinth?" Sarah opened her mouth, as if she were going to retort, but ultimately shrugged in agreement. Almost immediately after they crossed the border, they could see the outline of the Elvenking's castle. Jareth felt his pace pick up and his spirit rejuvenate with the idea of possibly succeeding in recovering Egeria's heart this time. "The gardens shouldn't be too far now. Daerwen will be waiting. I don't doubt she has her maids watching that portrait and Aelfric."

"Are there many that want to see Aelfric gone?" Sarah asked. Jareth nodded.

"Many elves would rather see Daerwen on the throne, even if they would never admit," Jareth said. "Bad things have happened to elves that go against him." Jareth rushed across the grassy meadow that lead to the palace gardens. Up ahead, he could see the black hair and slender build of Daerwen. Next to her were two guards, no doubt assigned to her by Aelfric. The closer to the palace he got, the more suffocating the elven magic surrounding it felt. When they reached the gardens, it almost felt like Jareth was attempting to walk through molasses. Fae magic may have been stronger than elven magic, but elven magic was extremely good at nullifying fae magic. Jareth focused the energy of the cloaking spell to cover Ludo better. Of the entire party, Ludo was the most conspicuous.

"You've gotten better at cloaking," Daerwen said as the party approached. "Though I can't pretend that I'm not annoyed with you. You never mentioned you were bringing a giant orange beast, a fox, a sheepdog, and a human."

"I'm fairly certain I mentioned the human," Jareth said, looking warily at the two elven guards.

"Relax, Vander and Filarion can be trusted," Daerwen said. "We have at least five other guards on our side, thanks to Ayduin."

"Ayduin?" Jareth asked with a furrowed brow. "I thought he was still Aelfric's lapdog?"

"Soulmate bonds can change a person, as well as the promise of power," Daerwen said with a smirk. Jareth widened his eyes. Of all the matches to actually happen, he never expected the tender-hearted Daerwen to end up with the cold and ruthless Ayduin. "Who are your companions?"

"The large orange one is Ludo," Jareth said. "Rockcaller. Will that even work here?"

"Yes," Daerwen said. "His gift is of the earth. I doubt elven magic will stop it. Actually, his gift may even be stronger."

"Interesting," Jareth said. He didn't expect that, but it wasn't an unpleasant surprise. "The fox is Sir Didymus and that's his dog Ambrosius. The human is Sarah. She was the latest runner for the Labyrinth."

"If she's here, she must have succeeded," Daerwen said. She looked up and smiled at Sarah. "It takes skill to beat the Labyrinth. You have my congratulations."

"Thank you," Sarah said with smile. "How are we all going to get inside?"

"I'll mix my magic with Jareth's cloak," Daerwen said. "Though the two of us could probably glamour you to look like one of my maids. Jareth could easily be glamoured into a guard. Aelfric left for the field immediately after the 'false you' and your goblins were sighted. I convinced him that I was safe in the hands of Vander and Filarion."

"Alright..." Sarah said with a nod. "Let's do this."


End file.
